Planktonic Foraminiferal and Alkenone Records of the Last Deglaciation from the Eastern Arabian Sea

• Published in: Quaternary research Vol. 52; no. 3; pp. 337 - 342
• Main Authors: Cayre, Olivia, Bard, Edouard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.11.1999; Elsevier Inc; Elsevier
• Subjects: alkenones; Arabian Sea; Bgi / Prodig; last deglaciation; Marine; Marine quaternary; Palaeogeography; Physical geography; planktonic foraminifera; Indian Ocean; ISW, Arabian Sea; last deglaciation; Arabian Sea; planktonic foraminifera; alkenones; Marine quaternary; Methodology; Oxygen 18; Palaeo-ecology; Marine sediment; Foraminifera; Surface temperature; Palaeo-environment; Deglaciation
• ISSN: 0033-5894; 1096-0287
• DOI: 10.1006/qres.1999.2083

The oxygen isotope record of planktonic foraminifera from tropical core MD77194 (Eastern Arabian Sea) exhibits a clear two-step deglaciation with a brief δ18O transient event. In the tropics, this δ18O maximum could correspond to a cooling or to a change in the δ18O content of sea water. In this study, past sea-surface temperature (SST) and primary production (PP) are reconstructed from foraminiferal transfer functions and compared to values estimated from alkenone measurements. SST and PP records from both proxies indicate a 1.5–2.5°C deglacial warming, coupled with a PP decrease, and a 0.5–1°C cooling during the Younger Dryas (YD). A detailed comparison between independent micropaleontological and geochemical proxies helps us identify potential biases and thus strengthen the paleo-reconstructions.